Mercy is meant to be shared!

Do you find it difficult to “let things go” when someone has hurt or offended you? When I was young, I often played the game Mercy. It’s a simple game really. You and your opponent take both of your hands and intertwine them with each other’s. You then proceed to bend them back trying to inflict the most pain to your opponent to “win the game”. When it starts to hurt beyond what you can handle, you merely yell, “Mercy!” and your opponent stops. Whoever yells “Mercy!” first is the loser.

That’s what the world wants us to believe that if we need mercy then we are losers and less than. When in fact we are far from losers, because we have victory through mercy. Not only was Christ’s sacrifice on the cross full of grace, but also full of mercy! We deserved that cross, not Jesus. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 Webster defines mercy as this: compassion shown to an offender. We are the offenders, not Him. But God showed us his amazing compassion when He gave us Himself for us instead of giving us what we deserve.

Do you have a hard time extending mercy in situations where you've been extended mercy to? We often judge others by their actions but ourselves by our intentions. We sometimes are quick to accept mercy from God and are slow in extending that mercy to others. Like those times where we hoard our resources because we’ve forgotten what it was like to be in need and times as simple as not allowing a car to merge into our lane on the highway when we were just extended the same act by another kind driver. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13

The mercy of God is more than our finite minds will ever be able to comprehend. We will never understand how the Creator of the Universe sent his son to this broken world in order to redeem mankind. We will never truly grasp how wide and high and deep the love of God is while we are here on this earth. But even though we don’t fully get it, it doesn’t mean we can’t receive it with open arms, rest in our eternal security through Christ’s death on the cross, and share it with those who need it extended to their lives. I believe that when we really receive mercy and see that we don’t deserve it that it’s a gift from God, we can then extend that same mercy to others.

This is my Prayer: God show me where I need to show mercy to others. Lord reveal to me just how much mercy You have shown me through my life and where I would be without it. Jesus thank You for loving me and having mercy on me, for give Your life for mine. God help me each day to believe in Your mercy, to receive it, and to share with those who need it. In Jesus name, Amen.